It was a bit surprising to learn from our colleague Jorge Bonilla, that this past weekend's Sunday news shows weren't dominated by the arrest of former CNN host Don Lemon over his actions in a church invasion on January 18. But last Saturday on MS NOW, host Ali Velshi, who used to work with Lemon at CNN, brought on another CNN alumnus, Jim Acosta, to discuss poor Lemon's plight on Velshi.
Velshi teased the segment by calling Lemon's arrest, "An escalation of Donald Trump's attack on press freedom that cannot be ignored," and continued with that narrative.
VELSHI: This week marked a major escalation by President Trump and his Department of Justice against freedom of press and the first amendment... Anti-ICE activists disrupted Church services.. The Justice Department alleges a group of agitators, which it said included Lemon and another journalist who denied that they were part of the protest, interfered with the first amendment rights of worshipers.. Lemon made it clear in real time that he himself was not there to participate in the protest.
Velshi then played a clip from Lemon's live YouTube broadcast of the Church invasion.
LEMON: So right now it's kind of mayhem. We're not part of the activists, but we're here just reporting on them. So I'm just going to be as respectful as possible, I'm not here to intimidate anybody. I'm just here to chronicle and to get some answers and let people know.
Velshi then seemingly used that clip to vindicate Lemon.
VELSHI: Don live streamed the event, which he typically does. He took photographs. He conducted interviews with Church members, activities that one would expect from a journalist in such a situation.
Velshi did not mention Lemon was charged with violation of the Face Act. He failed to address seemingly incriminating evidence against Lemon, presented on Fox's Jesse Watters Prime Time. Watters claimed that Lemon, "was in on the crime", and that he met up with the invaders of the Church ahead of time, "he knew the target and admitted he was in on the operation."
Velshi then brought on Acosta to continue the Lemon lovefest, complete with making unsubstantiated accusations against President Trump.
ACOSTA: ..The message to send to Don right now is that we all support him. We all love him...We've now reached the arresting journalists phase of Donald Trump's authoritarian project in America. And we just have to push back on this with all our might... Don was there covering this protest that was taking place inside this Church. That doesn't make Don a part of what was taking place there. He was covering it as a journalist. I mean, we cover Donald Trump in the Oval Office all the time. That doesn't implicate us in any of his corrupt activities, potential criminal activities. We're just there covering what's happening in the news.
And, you know, this is a this is a direct attack on the First Amendment. It's a direct attack on free speech in this country. He's trying to criminalize journalism. And this is a I think we've reached a point where it's going to take collective action on the part of journalists around this country. The message needs to be sent to the Trump administration that you just can't do this, and there's going to be consequences.
"Collective action and "consequences"? Such as? So a Grand Jury can not indict a "journalist" after seeing evidence of criminality?
VELSHI:. We we talk about journalists who get either arrested or, or caught up in things in other countries because their governments are trying to shut them down.. but it's not something we're used to in America.. If you convince everybody that journalists are taking part in every protest they cover, then there will be no journalists to film it, to record it, to interview people.
The analogy stinks, since we've noted journalists on the wrong side of Biden or Harris or Obama have been arrested or investigated. Acosta then once again called for action.
ACOSTA:. This has been an authoritarian week in Donald Trump's presidency. And this is dictator stuff. This is dangerous dictator stuff.. this is not just a call to arms for journalists, this is a wakeup call for every American in this country.
While the number of segments on the case of Don Lemon may continue to taper off for a while, they won't disappear, and they will ratchet up again as a trial date approaches.
